


Down Time

by Kirathaune



Category: Leverage
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-06-03 03:20:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19455262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirathaune/pseuds/Kirathaune
Summary: They're in between customers, and Parker is bored - which is never a good thing. Eliot and Alec are in need of a plan.





	Down Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [phnelt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/phnelt/gifts).



The saying goes, those who can, do. Those who can't--or in Eliot Spencer's current situation, those without a gig that would give them the opportunity and motive to beat the shit out of people--teach.

His current side-gig was a favor to a former Army buddy, who had been hired to turn a couple dozen actors and stunt men into a believable elite fighting force. The movie production's stunt and fight directors had taught the men how to fight safely, and then they'd gone to Ricky for 'authenticity.'

"They move around like a herd of stampeding cattle, instead of an elite squad," Eliot had told his friend, when he had finished laughing. "Doesn't matter if it's sci-fi or not, a soldier's a soldier." He'd spent the past few weeks helping Ricky whip them into shape, and looked forward to surprising Hardison with tickets to the premiere.

It was good to train, to keep sharp, but it was also something to help keep him busy.

It wasn't the first time he, Hardison, and Parker had hit a dry spell in finding worthwhile clients, and it wouldn't be the last, but this stretch was lasting a little longer than usual. Eliot felt the itch of restlessness under his skin, the need to live more than a normal life, and he knew the others felt it too.

He'd noticed signs of boredom in Parker, and that was a very bad thing. Some of his and Hardison's things had been disappearing in their loft above the brewpub, and Parker would have the tiniest of playful smiles while he or Hardison searched in vain.

They both knew she'd taken their things, and hidden them, and by unspoken agreement hadn't pushed the matter. But now, she'd gone too far. Eliot's samurai sword was missing.

Eliot cursed as he dug through various storage closets, tapping walls here and there, hoping to find a hidden panel or some other camouflage. He was tempted to wake Parker up and demand where she'd put it, but Parker was not a morning person and she would just deny having taken it. And she'd go back to sleep with that damn smile on her face.

"I thought you were meeting that stunt guy this morning," Hardison said as he shuffled into the kitchen, his robe ties trailing on the floor behind him. "The one you've been helping." He fetched a bowl from a cabinet and poured an ungodly amount of Lucky Charms cereal into it. He dug out a pink heart marshmallow and handed it to Eliot before pouring in the milk.

"I am," Eliot said, popping the marshmallow into his mouth. He grimaced at its sweetness. "I don't know how you can eat this shit."

"Gotta keep myself sweet," Hardison said, and he shoveled a big spoonful into his mouth.

"She awake yet?"

Hardison shook his head.

"She took my sword, man."

Hardison pause mid-chew. "She wha?"

"My samurai sword. It's missing from the _katana-kane_ in my study. I was going to take it with me today, to show to my buddy Ricky, and it's gone." Eliot checked behind the fridge, just in case.

"Shit." Hardison gulped down his mouthful of cereal. "She better not touch my Samurai Star Wars figurines, or there's gonna be hell to pay."

"Alec, we have to do something," Eliot said. "We haven't had a decent client in awhile, and she's bored. What's going to happen when she gets tired of hiding our stuff? And talking to her is not going to do any good, she'll just go stealth on us."

"Yeah, you're right." Hardison poked his cereal around in his bowl.

Eliot checked the pantry closet, and then decided to give up the search. "I gotta go. Let's think about what we can do--maybe a vacation?" He grabbed his truck keys from a bowl on the end of the kitchen counter, and then he went to zip up the duffel that stored his martial arts gear.

"Hey, ain't you forgetting something?" Hardison waved his spoon at Eliot.

Eliot sighed. "What?"

Hardison grinned. "Gimme some sugar."

Eliot rolled his eyes, then he gave Hardison a kiss before he slung the duffel strap over his shoulder and headed out the door.

* * *

Today was one of those days where Alec was grateful that he had an office downstairs in the brewpub. It wouldn't be time for the lunch crowd for another couple of hours, so Alec let his daily duties provide a distraction from his earlier conversation with Eliot. He made the rounds of the tank rooms with the brewmaster, and had his weekly status meeting with the restaurant manager. Since Eliot would be busy with his consulting gig for a few more days, Alec met with the sous chef to make sure everything was running smoothly in the kitchen.

The bonus of that meeting was a plate of experimental appetizers. Eliot had tasked his assistant with coming up with some vegan offerings, so Alec munched on buffalo cauliflower bites and flash-fried crispy spinach while he signed off on the week's orders.

Steve, the restaurant manager, knocked on the open door of his office. "Hey, boss, there's a guy named Rory asking if he can meet with you. He says he owns the new escape room in town and wanted to talk about a possible collaboration."

"Escape room?" Alec asked.

"Yeah," Steve said. "They're getting pretty popular. You get put in a locked room with all kinds of clues, and you have sixty minutes to get out."

_Sixty whole minutes, hunh,_ Alec thought. He and the team had been in situations where they'd had a quarter of that time. "And people pay to do this?"

"Yeah, it's pretty fun. You want to see him?"

"Sure, why not."

Steve ushered the guy into the office, and after introductions and small talk were out of the way, Alec got a crash course in escape rooms and just how popular they were in the city.

"...and I thought it would be a great idea to have a couple of special package deals that involved some other local businesses," Rory said, leaning forward in his chair. "Like, for here, we could do a thing where the customers buy a combo package where they do the escape and then come over here for a beer flight."

Alec liked the idea. "We could do that, and we could also do something where we give a discount to people who bring in one of your receipts. Or maybe our Tank Club members can get a discount to your place."

"Yes!" Rory said. "We'd be sharing customers, but not have to worry about competing with each other."

Alec leaned back in his chair. "So what kind of rooms do you have?" he asked.

"The most popular one is 'Escape the Dead,' which is a riff on _Night of the Living Dead,_ " Rory said. "You have to get out before the zombies get in."

"Can't go wrong with zombies, man."

"Right? My newest one is 'Jewel Thief'--the goal is to steal the big shiny diamond from the display case and escape without setting off the alarms."

Alec sat up. "'Jewel Thief?'"

Rory nodded. "We're almost done 'Art Thief' too; we're setting up one of the bigger rooms up like an art museum and people steal a famous painting. We just have to finish testing it all out."

Alec couldn't help grinning as he leaned back again, steepling his fingertips. "I have the perfect person for you."

* * *

"That was sooo much fun!" Parker bounced between Eliot and Hardison as they walked back to the brewpub, her hands clasping theirs. "I want to do the art one again, and see if I can beat my time."

"My man Rory didn't know what hit him," Hardison said. "I think he was glad no one else knows how fast you ran through all his rooms. It was a fun night out, wasn't it?" He glanced at Eliot over Parker's head and winked.

It had been a good night, and Hardison's plan had worked. Eliot smiled at Parker and squeezed her hand. "Rory liked all your ideas, too," he said. "We're going to have to watch out, he might steal you away from us."

"No way," Parker said. She glanced up at Eliot, and her impish glee faded to a more serious expression. "I'm sorry I took your sword." She stretched up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, and then she turned to Hardison and did the same. "And I'm sorry I took your Ronin Boba Fett."

Hardison stopped in his tracks. "My what?"

Eliot laughed.

"Girl, you took my first-issue, limited-edition, ordered-from-Japan Ronin Boba Fett? Do you have any idea how much that is worth?"

Parker's little smile was back, which told Eliot that she knew exactly how much it was worth. He laughed again and poked Hardison in the chest. "You didn't even know it was missing!" He sidestepped a poorly aimed punch.

Hardison scowled at him, and then he turned and tapped a finger on the tip of Parker's nose. "You're putting everything back tonight, right?"

Parker nodded.

"And this is going to stop, right? Eliot was really upset this morning."

Parker ducked her head in another nod. "I was bored," she said. "I just hid them, that's all."

Eliot squeezed her hand again and pressed his lips against her soft, shining hair. "Apology accepted," he said. "We'll get a new client soon, and til then you can help Rory make his rooms even better."

"Dude, with her help, his place is going to be da bomb," Hardison said.

"Ooooh," Parker said, "he can have a Beat the Bomb Room, and we could do a real bomb!"

"NO!" both men said at the same time.

Parker laughed and kissed them again. "Just kidding. Besides, we have a client. While you guys were out this afternoon, a couple came by. They're losing their home because a shady real estate guy wants their place for condo development, and they need our help. I scheduled them to come in tomorrow for a meeting."

Hardison smiled. "That's our girl."


End file.
